Meant to Be
by MyNameIsCAL
Summary: Takes place after FANG. Fang returns and Dylan gets protective of Max. While Max doesn't want to hurt Dylan, her heart lies with Fang. And where has Angel disappeared to? Maybe things are more complicated than they seem. Fax, Niggy, and Dax if you squint.
1. Chapter 1

**Meant to Be – Chapter 1**

By MyNameIsCAL

**I couldn't resist putting the new story up already. Takes place after "Fang". This is my first shot at putting my spin on the future for the flock after "Fang" and more of my fantasy of how things should go, of course with a little struggle to happiness, but nevertheless, a hopefully happy ending. I can't promise you anything though. I hope you like it. **

-Max's POV-

The aroma of Iggy's baking filled the air, bringing us all to the kitchen. We sat at the table, me at the head, Iggy and Dylan on opposites sides of me, Gazzy at the opposite end, and Nudge between him and Iggy. There were two empty spots, one for Fang and one for Angel.

Today, we were celebrating our birthdays, like we had made tradition over the past few years. Iggy and I were turning twenty now. Sometimes we felt younger than that, but often times more, we felt a lot older. Gazzy was turning fourteen, Nudge was turning seventeen.

It's been five years since Fang left. Only fifteen more until twenty.

A lot had happened since Fang left. First of all, whatever was supposed to happen, well it just didn't. I don't know what the hell Jeb was talking about, the apocalypse, or each of us leading our own flocks. That was a load of crap. We were safe and alive, still living in our hidden home in the mountains. Of course Angel was gone, but I'll tell you about that later.

"Alright, guys, chocolate cake," Iggy said, a touch of satisfaction in his voice.

Dylan began to cut pieces, giving the first to Gazzy, the next to Nudge. He served himself last, smearing cake on my nose.

"Hey!" I protested, wiping frosting on his face.

I watched Nudge and Gazzy exchange looks. Dylan and I had our differences. He still believed his purpose was to be here and be my perfect match now that Fang was gone. There were days we got along and days we didn't, but I guess after he tried to kill himself, it seemed wrong to kick him to the curb. Besides, he was no different than us. It was because of the scientists he was this way and well, it didn't make him much different than us.

The others didn't like Dylan much. Iggy only put up with him because he hoped that Dylan would help me move on from Fang. Even being blind, Iggy had become second in command. Dylan didn't always listen to me, but he listened to Iggy because unlike me, Iggy had reason and I just ran on emotion. Iggy would never ever admit it to my face, but I knew he secretly hoped that I would fall for Dylan and leave Fang in the past. Of course, I couldn't do that. But over the past five years, I guess I had warmed to Dylan being around. He wasn't such a bad guy.

"I'm glad you didn't fly out today," Dylan said, now eating his piece of cake.

Of course he would bring it up, after we had gotten through a whole day without discussing Fang. Usually, I spent a couple hours out, going to see the hawks, rest in the cave, and then fly back home. I always hoped that Fang might show up one day. For when I wasn't there, I even left a letter taped to the inside of the cave, in case he ever came back.

"Well, I'm going tomorrow," I replied.

Iggy put his fork down. "Can we not ruin today with one of your arguments?"

Dylan had opened his mouth to say more, but he quickly closed it. "Sorry."

Later that night, we sat outside on the large balcony, looking up at the stars. I had my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about bringing Fang up earlier," he spoke softly.

"It's okay," I replied.

We sat in silence again.

"We should get some sleep," I said, letting out a breath.

"Of course," he said, still staring out at the sky.

We stood, still standing next to each other, inches apart. The sky was almost enchanting out here. The closer you moved towards people and the city, the stars got lost in the smog.

"Well, goodnight." Still, Dylan waited for me to walk towards the door with him.

"Goodnight," I said in response.

And that was when he pulled me into a kiss, his arms around me, strong. For a while, I was dumbfounded.

"No, stop." I pushed him away.

He looked hurt. "What's wrong?"

"I can't do this."

"No, you can. It's supposed to be like this, ever since I met you." Dylan sounded angry now. "It's been five years! And you still haven't let go of him. Why can't you let go of him, Max? He's never coming back. _He doesn't love you_."

"Neither do you," I growled.

He forced me to look him in the eye. "No, Max, you're wrong. I do love you. More than he ever could."

* * *

The next morning, I woke at my usual time and packed a backpack of food, a blanket, and a first aid kit. Unlike yesterday, today would be routine. I would head out to one of the first places I had been with Fang when all our troubles had begun.

"Max, where are you going?"

I turned to see Dylan standing in the doorway, blocking me.

"Where else would I be going?" I growled at him.

He sighed.

"Dylan, give it a rest and let her go," Iggy said from the kitchen. "You know you can't stop her and the rest of us aren't going to."

Slowly, Dylan moved away from the door, letting me go out, free for a while as I spread my wings, heading towards the hawks like I did every day. He still wasn't that great of a flyer, but if he was, I'm almost positive he would come after me and drag me back. As I flew onward, I told myself that I was never going to forgive Dylan about last night.

There was this satisfaction to flying alone, or sort of self peace and freedom that no one understood but me. Cars lazily wound through the roads down the mountain and campers were just starting to arrive at the sites. But being alone, it also gave me time to think.

Jeb had died two years ago. He tried to control us, attempting to use Dylan and Angel to get into my head. Angel sided with Dylan and Jeb, and we lost her after Jeb's death. She ran off and Gazzy spent days and nights looking for her, but I knew when she said she was leaving forever that it wasn't worth it to go after her. But when she took off, she said she was leaving forever. I knew that ripped a hole in Gazzy's heart. It definitely tore something out of me. At least Dylan started to see that Jeb had been wrong about everything, but he still insisted that me and him were meant to be.

And how did Jeb die, you ask? Well, I killed him. Not on purpose, but he was trying to hurt us so we would listen to him. It was instinct to fight back against him and in the process, forgetting that humans were more fragile, I snapped his neck. There was a sense of relief after it. Everyone besides Dylan and Angel felt the same way as me. I wondered where we'd be if Jeb was still around now.

The hawk population over the years had diminished. I flew around with them for a while and they seemed to be used to my presence. I grew tired after a while and perched onto the side of the cliff, seeing that my note that I left here whenever I was gone was still here. It said something to the affect that if I wasn't there I'd be there later and that he should either stay there or fly to the house.

The afternoon passed by and it was soon dusk. I should have been heading back hours ago, but today, I felt like staying. Iggy, who had sort of become second in command now, would keep them all in line. Besides, Nudge still had her big crush on him and Gazzy knew better than to mess with his partner in crime. Dylan was a different story, but he tended to listen to Iggy because unlike me, Iggy had reason and I just, well, these days, all I had was emotion to run on.

As the sunset, one I wish I could have shared with Fang, it grew colder. I started a fire and sat next to it, pulling Fang's last words out of my pocket, his letter, which was now torn at the edges and tear-stained, looking a little yellow after all these years of me reading it, hoping some kind of clue to where he was going would pop up.

But it was clear nothing had happened. The world was carrying on and it didn't need saving. Fang hadn't come back and sometimes, I started to think about the worst, maybe he was dead.

"I wish you would come back," I said, finishing reading it for the third time now. "So we can prove to Dylan that he's wrong. And even if you don't love me, I love you, Fang, forever and always…"

I started to cry, everything around me become a blur in my tears. And that's when someone's arms came around me. At first, I thought it was someone trying to take me, to drag me off, and I begged them to take me, to put me out of my misery.

But then, the person spoke. "Shhh, Max, I love you too."

"Fang…" I shook against him and he lifted my chin so I could look into his eyes.

"I'm sorry I missed the sunset," he gave me one of his rare smiles. "Please, don't cry."

I leaned my head back against him and we stayed like that for a while, his arms around me, my head against his chest. Even though I was crying, I wish it could have been like that forever.

* * *

**If you follow my stories, then you'll know I chose to put this up because of poll results. I will be creating a new poll shortly, so you can revote again for what you want to see next. Thanks for reading! New chapter should be up next time next week. **

**Well, here goes another new fic. Wish me luck.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Meant to Be – Chapter 2**

By MyNameIsCAL

It took me a long time to calm myself down, and when I did, my sense came rushing back to me. I took a whiff of the air.

"Do you smell that?" I asked.

He gave me a funny look. Not exactly the first question you'd ask someone after seeing them for the first time in five years.

"Blood." I stared at him and he dropped his arms from around me. As I unzipped his jacket, he winced as I revealed his shirt, bloodstained and torn by his stomach.

"It's just a scratch," he insisted.

But it wasn't. The bleeding had slowed, but it hadn't stopped. It looked painful. I found the first aid kit and started to clean it. He groaned.

"I'll bandage it now," I told him. "Do you think you can make it back home?"

He closed his eyes. "I'm fine, let's go."

And we took off into the night.

My biggest fear besides finding out that Fang was dead was finding that he had changed, but as we let the night pass us by on our way home, it didn't seem he had changed much at all.

"You're not mad at me?" he questioned gruffly. "You're not going to question where I've been or what I've been doing?"

I glanced at him, his wings a purple tint under the moonlight.

Closing my eyes, I let the wind carry me a little. "No. There'll be time for that later."

He seemed surprised, but the expression quickly vanished when I looked at him again. I couldn't tell if he was tired or in pain or if there was actually something bothering him. The rest of our flight was silent.

My landing was clean, but he stumbled and I had to grab his arm to steady him. It took a while for us to get down the ladder, trying not to wake Iggy who was asleep on the couch, Nudge curled up next to him. I told him to sit on the other couch and he dropped his bag to the floor, falling back onto it.

"What's going on?" Iggy stirred, rubbing his eyes. "Is that blood?"

"Yes, it's blood," Fang grumbled.

Iggy blinked, even though he couldn't see. "Fang?"

"Yeah, it's me," he muttered.

"Am I dreaming?" Iggy asked.

"No." Fang sucked in a deep breath.

I forced him to lie down and he gave a weak protest. Opening his jacket, I could see that blood had stained through the bandages.

"How bad is it?" Iggy questioned, now standing next to me.

"We either need to take him to a hospital," I paused. "Or stitch it."

"Stitch it." Fang had his eyes closed. "I don't want to go to the hospital."

"Alright, then I'll stitch it," I sighed. "But it's gonna hurt."

"I don't care," he growled.

I opened the first aid kit, cleaning the wound again. Well, here went nothing. I had only learned this on the internet when Iggy had cut his finger on a knife. He didn't have the patience to go to the hospital, so he begged me to find another way. But I had never stitched anything this big. At least it didn't look that deep.

"AH!" Fang flinched as I stuck the needle in.

"Iggy, hold him down."

It was a slow process, but after all of Fang's screaming, the wound was sealed. I cleaned it again. No more blood.

"When was the last time you ate?" Iggy let go of Fang.

"I don't know," Fang mumbled. "A couple of days. Can I have some water?"

Iggy started to make his way to the kitchen. Nudge was awake now, staring down at Fang. He stared up at her for a few seconds and then closed his eyes.

"Oh my God! FANG!"

"Shhh, Nudge," I hushed.

She clamped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry."

"What the hell is going on?" Dylan appeared from the hallway, shirtless. I swear he never slept without taking his shirt off. It was quite annoying to wake up and go to the kitchen to see him shirtless, as nicely toned as his abs were, I knew he was only doing it to try to attract me.

"Fang is back!" Nudge exclaimed.

I could see the color drain from Dylan's face. "What?"

Fang opened his eyes. "Hello, Dylan."

"No, he can't be here," Dylan shook his head. "He has to leave."

"Dylan, he's hurt," Iggy said, coming back with a bottle of water. "And he hasn't eaten for days. We can't just leave him out there like this."

Dylan stammered. "Alright, fine. But he's a danger to us."

"No he's not!" I stood, advancing towards him.

"Enough!" Iggy, always the diplomat. "It's late and I'm tired. Can you argue in the morning please? Jesus, just let Fang have his rest."

It took a while for that to sink into Dylan's head, but he agreed, storming back down the hall. I'm surprised Gazzy hadn't come out.

"Are you hungry?" I kneeled down next to the couch.

Fang moved his head slightly to the left, and then to the right. He had drained the water bottle within seconds. "I just want to sleep."

"Of course," I nodded. "Let me get you a blanket."

When I returned, Iggy and Nudge were saying goodnight to him, apologizing for Dylan's rude behavior.

"We'll work out things in the morning," Iggy assured him.

"He's just mad because he likes Max, but the feeling's not mutual," Nudge added and Iggy smirked.

"Hey, enough you two, go to bed," I frowned.

"Oh, goodnight, Max," Iggy laughed, letting Nudge lead him down the hallway.

I put the blanket over Fang and he put a hand over my wrist. "Will you stay?"

"Stay?"

He moved over, making room for me next to him.

"Alright," I agreed, settling next to him under the blanket.

He shivered, leaning his head against my shoulder.

"Fang?"

"Yes, Max?" he responded into my ear.

"Will you promise me something?"

He breathed out. "Anything."

"Promise me you won't leave again."

His hand weakly squeezed mine. "I promise, Max."

* * *

**Where Fang has been shall be a mystery for now. I'll get to it eventually!**

**Here's the second chapter. I'm staying with Max's POV for the entire story. I'll update the next chapter sometime before the weekend. Thanks for reading!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Meant to Be – Chapter 3**

By MyNameIsCAL

Iggy was the first up, as usually, using the smell of food to rouse us. Today smelled like waffles and bacon. We usually ate whatever he felt like eating unless he asked first, but bacon surprised me. He never made that because Nudge hated meat. I got the feeling it was because Fang was back.

Fang tried to sit up, but I put a hand on his shoulder. He still looked exhausted.

"I'll bring your food over," I told him."

The smell was making its way through the house. Gazzy was awake now and he almost passed Fang and me, but then he did a double take, eyes widening.

"Hi, Gazzy," Fang said weakly.

"Holy…" Gazzy trailed off. "Does Dylan know?"

"You missed that last night," Iggy answered. "Let's just say he's pissed off.

I used a couple pillows to prop Fang up in a sitting position before giving him a plate of food. As Iggy and Gazzy carried on about Dylan, Fang chewed on his food slowly, listening. I started to eat my food, hearing Dylan's door open. He frowned when he spotted Fang.

"I need to talk to you," Dylan said. "Please."

I put down my plate. "Alright."

Fang gave me a questioning look before I let myself be led out to the balcony where we had been the other night. He reached for my hand and I let him take it, knowing it was useless to fight back. It wasn't worth ruining the morning for the rest of the flock either.

"I don't trust him," Dylan told me bluntly. "He's going to hurt you again."

"That's not your call to make," I responded, shaking his hand away now.

"Then at least give me a chance," he begged. "Let me show you I'm better than him."

"Dylan, don't you get it that the rest of the flock doesn't like you?" I let out a sigh of exasperation. "You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me! Isn't that enough for you?"

"No, Max, I love you."

"Well, you know I don't feel that way. You can't just throw words like that out, expecting me to accept them."

"No, you do feel that way." Dylan's eyes met mine and he took a step forward, leaning in.

I pushed him back. "Didn't you learn from the last time?"

He looked hurt.

"Don't give me that look." I turned away from him.

Dylan sighed. "I don't' want you to get hurt again. I'm not afraid of Fang or what the others think about me. I'm concerned about you and no one else."

"Maybe you should worry about yourself first."

Dylan shook his head.

"I like having you as a friend, Dylan. You would have made a great addition to the flock if we were still out there fighting," I admitted. "But things didn't work out that way. The others have a reason to kick you out of here now that Fang's back. So take my advice and just cool down."

"If I can't convince you to choose me, then I'm going to leave."

"C'mon, Dylan. You know I don't want you to leave."

"That's exactly why I know you love me. You're just fighting the feeling, stuck in the past."

I didn't want to get angry at him, but sometimes Dylan was difficult that I just snapped. It had been a while since that had happened though. I didn't hate Dylan and I didn't want Fang's return to turn me against him.

"You don't know how to let go either." And I left him with that.

* * *

Iggy had been gracious enough to take everyone food shopping, leaving me alone with Fang. We sat on the couch in silence.

"So you aren't going to question me?" he prompted.

I shook my head.

He looked confused.

"I…I don't need a reason to get mad at you, I don't want to know anything that Dylan can use against you," I replied.

Fang frowned. "Then why don't you tell him to leave?"

"Because he's what got me through you leaving," I muttered. "And he's not that bad."

I looked for a sign of anger or concern in Fang's face, but instead, he said, "I'm sorry."

We stared at each other for a long time. He tucked the hair in my face behind my ear. "I missed you, Max."

"You're here now," I whispered.

He leaned towards me, his lips meeting mine. I put my arms around him, taking in the moment, tears welling up in my eyes. He pulled away from me. I didn't mean to cry, but how long had I been waiting for a moment like this?

"I just missed you so much," I managed to choke out.

He pulled me close, his arms around me. "Shh, Max, I'm here now, just like you said, and I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Later that night, after Dylan had disappeared to his room, we sat around the fire pit on the roof, passing around marshmallows. I sat next to Fang, a blanket draped over our shoulders, Iggy and Nudge the same way. Gazzy looked around at us, frowning as he wrapped his own blanket around himself.

"Uhm, I know I've been here a while," Fang suddenly spoke. "But where's Angel?"

Gazzy made a face, letting his marshmallow catch fire. "Long story short: Max killed Jeb and Angel threw a tantrum, leaving_ forever_."

Mentioning Angel made Gazzy angry. We watched him violently wave his stick around, trying to put out the fire. It fell into the fire and he chucked the stick into it. Ever since Angel eflt, Gazzy had changed. He stood, furious.

"Gazzy," I said softly. "C'mon, at least have one marshmallow."

He sat down on my opposite side. Even at fourteen, Gazzy still seemed like a kid. I extended the blanket to Gazzy and he let it settle around him. He would never admit it, but he felt left out a lot of the time.

"Thanks," he muttered.

I handed him a new stick with a marshmallow.

"You killed Jeb?" Fang asked now that Gazzy seemed more calm.

"In defense," Nudge answered. "He was trying to hurt us, and you know max, when she gets angry, it's all or nothing in a fight."

"Jeb was controlling Angel," Gazzy grumbled. "Even Dylan knew what Jeb was doing was wrong."

"And what happened to Mom and Ella?" Fang was waiting for me to answer this one.

"Ella is in college and Mom went back to being a vet," I answered.

Fang said nothing for a while, and then, "Anything else I should know?"

Iggy took his turn at speaking now. "We're really glad you're back."

* * *

**Alright, Chapter 3. Tell me what you think. Thanks for reading! A new chapter should be on its way shortly.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Meant to Be – Chapter 4**

By MyNameIsCAL

Dylan kept to himself over the next few days while the others seemed to smother Fang in attention that he didn't really want. Iggy spent almost every day cooking and we were suddenly spoiled with food. Things seemed at peace, except for Dylan who still seemed to be fuming.

I lay awake one night on the roof with Fang under the stars. For the past half hour, we said nothing to each other, and then he asked me a question.

"Why aren't any of you mad at me?"

The answer was simple. Well, okay, it was complicated actually, but the even as Angel broke away from us and Dylan stuck around to change everything, the rest of the flock stuck behind me. And if I didn't want to kick Dylan out, they would put up with him. As long as my decisions were within reason, or even if they weren't, they'd side with me without question. I wasn't mad at Fang, so they wouldn't be. And it was true, all those nights spent alone were painful, and maybe I was angry at first, but there seemed no point in being angry now. I didn't want to push Fang away either. His return felt like things were going back to normal, even if Angel wasn't here. Honestly, Fang's return was only one step closer to getting Dylan to leave, but of course I wasn't going to kick him out unless he gave me a reason to.

"Why does it matter?" I countered.

"Because I left for five years, Max. I said I was going to leave for twenty, but nothing ever happened, and so I came back. If you hadn't been there, I might have gone away for another five, I might have never returned. I _want_ you to be mad at me. I have the best intentions to fix things, but I don't deserve to come back here with everyone ready to open their arms to me again." He rolled onto his side, facing me. "And Max, I certainly don't deserve to have you after I left. I had expected you to go along with Dylan, to be happier and better off with him."

I let out a sigh. "Don't say that, Fang."

"_I left you_, Max. Most people wouldn't take someone who left them back, most people wouldn't trust me!"

"We're not most people, Fang."

Fang stared at me for a very long time. "You don't even care where I've been all this time."

"I care…"

"No, you don't. Max, you need to get things straight in your head. I'm going to tell you what I've done, where I've been, and you might not like it, but it's what I did to keep going." He put his hand around my wrist. "And if it still doesn't matter to you after I tell you, then so be it, but I need to tell you because you need to know. "

"I don't need to know anything."

He stood up, heading towards the door. "Goodnight, Max."

"Fang…" I went after him, but he shook his head.

"You don't want to know because you're afraid of me giving you a reason to get rid of Dylan. But the truth is, Max, you don't want to get rid of him." Fang let out a breath. "And you don't know which of us to choose, so you need to pick, and I'm not going to try to sway you to pick me."

"That's not true…"

"It is Max, even Iggy agrees."

And that whole little fantasy I had about the flock being on my side seemed to go down the drain.

* * *

I sat in the kitchen, waiting for everyone else to wake up. As always, Iggy came out of his room first, hair a mess and shirt on inside out.

"Morning," he yawned, heading to the fridge.

"What did you say to Fang about Dylan and me?" I questioned.

He didn't answer me.

"Iggy," I said, more firmly.

He shut the fridge, setting the carton of milk on the table. "You need to listen to Fang."

"Do you really think I love Dylan?" I pressed.

Iggy's eyes seemed to fall on me. "Yes, I do. You've made us keep him around this long, Max. He made you happy when Fang wasn't around, even though you had your share of arguments. Now you're afraid to let go of him. I may not be able to _see _things, Max, but I'm not stupid."

"I…"

He cut me off. "I heard you two talking last night. Fang is right. You need to pick, Max. Dylan will fight for you and Fang isn't going to do anything about it. The fact that you won't listen to Fang frustrates him. It makes him want to be angry at himself because none of us are except for Dylan. And you know Fang loves you more than anything in the world, but he loves you enough to let you go too."

"I've already chosen, Fang," I stated.

"Then you need to prove it to him."

* * *

**So tension is building. Fang will soon reveal what he was up to. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Meant to Be – Chapter 5**

By MyNameIsCAL

I sat in my room at my desk, going through my email. Ella had sent me a few and I needed to reply to her. Then there was a new one from Mom. That definitely needed answering.

"Can I come in?"

I turned to see Fang in the doorway holding a stack of notebooks.

"Of course," I nodded.

He walked in, standing next to me. He dropped the notebooks on the desk. "I tried to document the past five years. It wasn't easy to write every day, but it's in order starting from the top one here. I'd like you to read some of it."

I put my hand on the top one, running my finger down the spiral binding. "Okay, I will."

"Thank you."

And then he left me. I picked up the first one, turning to the first day. It was dated by the day after he left.

_Leaving. I never thought I'd ever leave the flock. They're family to me, but here I am alone, somewhere in California. If I ever go back, Max and them will probably kill me, and I'd probably deserve it. But Max needs to lead, and she needs to lead without me being a distraction. Besides, Dylan will be there to keep things in line. _

_I've been trying not to cry, but I always felt like Max was going to be the one. Walking away is tearing me up, but I know it was for the better of the flock, even if Max takes a while to adjust._

The next couple of entries, each only a few words. Then for almost a week he didn't write anything, and then came a lengthy entry:

_It's been hard, but I've found some people who need help, people like me. We weren't the only ones that the scientists have been messing with._

_There's Peter, three years younger than me. He's like Iggy, except he can actually see in the dark. But then again, all he sees is black in white. It looks like he hates seeing that way. I wonder if I should tell him about Iggy._

_Mark is Peter's twin brother. The scientists have done multiple things to him, ones he won't speak about. In fact, Mark doesn't speak at all. Peter says he doesn't even know what happened to Mark. I guess for now, there's nothing "special" about Mark. _

_Mary is the oldest out of the group of three, my age. She was the one that contacted me through my website and she seems nice. They look up to her. Sorta reminds me of Max. She claims the scientists were talking about wings, but they never got to doing anything to them because they escaped. Mary can sense people's feelings and see people's thoughts, but only when she touches them._

_They've been under attack by people hired by the scientists. I don't know if it's the same as Itex or not, but they haven't heard of erasers, so maybe not. We're on the run now. They're all sleeping, but I haven't slept for days. It seems easier that way. I don't have to deal with seeing Max in my dreams._

I skimmed the rest of the notebook, most of it a couple sentences here and there. There was a map stuck between the pages that was torn in half. As I neared the end of the notebook, Fang was still talking about Peter, Mark, and Mary. They had met some other people, other runaways, but none of them stayed long with them. I started the next book, one year since he had left.

_It's been a year since I left. I stole this notebook from a store when Mary distracted the cashier. We're still running, hiding in the mountains. I wish they could fly because getting away would be easier._

_I've been thinking about Max again, lately, but I have to help Peter, Mark, and Mary. I started to let Mary go through my thoughts. She can tell I'm distracted and she's convinced me it's good to talk about things. That's what we do when the others are asleep._

_Right now we're in Chicago, some dark alleyway. We met a hobo named Jim. He told us this was a pretty safe place that no one really came through here. _

Ten entries later…

_Mary kissed me today. I didn't stop her, but I didn't kiss her back. She knows what's going through my head. I don't know where any of this is going. Mark recently got sick, but we don't know what's wrong with him and we can't take him to a hospital because it's too risky._

A week later…

_We had to hotwire a car because Mark cannot walk anymore. Peter is desperate to save him, but Mark can barely breathe. We've stopped for the night at a motel, but Mark is coughing and there's nothing we can do for him. I won't tell them this, but I get the feeling we're going to lose him. _

And then there wasn't an entry for the next two weeks. In fact, there were a couple of blank pages, like Fang had been thinking about going back to write something but never got to it. I stared at them for a while before I kept reading.

_We woke up to Mark lifeless. Peter's been crying a lot. Mary has done the best to comfort him, but there's only so much you can do. We found a place and buried Mark. _

_There's only three of us now and it feels different. Mary has grown closer to me, but I'm not sure I really want to get attached. It's too painful to say goodbye._

The rest of this notebook was them running again. Peter had fallen silent towards the end, no longer talking as his brother had. I wondered what had happened to them, but I got the feeling that I'd find out soon enough.

_Peter jumped off the top of the hotel we were staying it. I should have known better than letting him have his own room. We had to flee as the cops arrived. The scientists are still after us. Mary recently discovered she can influence people to do things that she wants, but it doesn't work on me._

_Things don't feel right anymore. Something bad is going to happen, or at least I get that feeling._

The entries became short again, mostly centered around the same thing about running away. By the end of the second year, it seemed like they had traveled the whole country. Looking at the clock, two and a half hours had gone by. I listened, looking around the room. The TV was on and Iggy was talking to Nudge about something. After another moment, I picked up the next notebook, year two.

_Here I am, two years later. Mary is asleep leaning against me as we stowaway on a train to Canada. She still reminds me of Max, but she isn't Max. _

_I've had the urge to go back to California, to go see if those hawks are still there. By now, I'm sure the flock has moved on. Maybe Jeb has made peace with them, or maybe Max kicked his butt. I wonder if Angel cooled off or if she still thinks she can lead. I always felt bad for her, but it's hard to believe she really thought she could control us._

I read through the next few entries which were quite lengthy, but mostly saying how they escaped border patrol. And then I found one that I had to stop and read slowly:

_Mary kissed me again, seeing my memories I had of Max. She told me that I needed to let go of Max, and I'm starting to think she might be right. It's been two years and while running away and sleeping in a new place every night isn't exactly a stable lifestyle, it's given me a way to not think about the flock too much. I miss them still though._

_Tonight before she fell asleep, Mary told me about her family. She had met them after she escaped, but like the flock, her family never wanted her. _

The next entry:

_Mary saved my life today. I almost got shot by some guy who was after us, but she took a bullet for me. I've had no choice but to take her to the hospital_.

A day later:

_The scientists have found us at the hospital. I can tell by the way they're treating us, but I don't think they've figured out that I know who they are. Mary isn't doing well, but I can't stay here long._

And another day:

_Mary is conscious. I sat by her beside today and she took my hand, confessing that she loves me. I kissed her and then the door flew open. She told me to run, but I refused. Then the men who came in killed her right in front of me…_

_I haven't the words to describe how I feel. But for now I'm going to fly and get away._

It was hard to keep going after reading that.

_I cried for the first time in a while. I'm alone now, sleeping in a tree under the stars. It's cold in Canada, but I think I'll adjust._

The rest of the notebook was empty. I picked up the third notebook.

_Three fucking years. I'm ready to throw myself off a cliff. I don't have any money, I've stolen from people who don't deserve to have things taken from them. But even if I tried to kill myself, I know I wouldn't be able to, even though I know I can't live with myself for all the things that I've done._

_I've stopped thinking about Mary now and directed my thoughts back to the flock, but mostly Max. What would she say now if she knew what I had gotten myself into?_

The entries were filled with rants and curses. He was angry and alone, staying in Canada for that third year. As that third year went on, the flock and Mary disappeared from entries and he talked about nothing mostly, just describing where he was. A few entries in a row were almost entirely the same, like he had forced himself to write just to keep himself busy. Then he stopped writing for sixth months of that year. I got to the fourth book finally, Iggy calling down the hall that there was pizza if I was hungry, but I kept reading.

_Four years. I feel like a different person now. I've forgotten about the past. I started up a new website, going from place to place to help people out. On this day, and only this day, will I think about everything that happened and everything I left behind. _

_So for the flock, I hope they're doing well. I hope that they're not angry at me still and that they moved on. What's gone is gone, right? _

_And for Mary, Peter, and Mark. Wherever you are now, hopefully a better place than before, I'm sorry that I couldn't do more for you_. _But mostly to Mary, if I had chosen you, I'm almost certain that things would have been different. Although you always knew that my heart was somewhere else._

Fang talked about a lot of people for the next couple of months, most of them he didn't call by name. Up until of the middle of the notebook, things seemed okay.

_My website got shut down, so I've just been wandering around on my own, trying to keep myself distracted. Today, I could have sworn I saw someone that looked like Max, but when she turned, of course it wasn't her. I'd be a fool to think I'd just bump into here on the streets of New York._

_But it feels like everywhere I look, something reminds me about the flock, or about Mary or Peter or Mark. I spent a lot of the day flying, but I feel lost again. _

And then Fang got angry.

_I CANNOT take this ANYMORE! I'm going fucking nuts trying to figure things out. I set out to change the world, but that was never my calling. That was always Max's job, to save the world. I shouldn't have ever left. I should have stayed where I was. I should have stayed with Max and then I wouldn't have to go through every day feeling like shit. God, how can the world be so cruel? Or did I do this to myself?_

I winced looking at the next entry, all in capital letters. I never knew Fang had such a colorful vocabulary. It was one entry I didn't want to recall, so I only skimmed it and moved on to the next few. The anger started to turn into an emotional breakdown. The words were blurred by what had to be tears. His handwriting was erratic. And then there were several entries scribbled out that I couldn't read. Then more blank pages.

And then the fifth notebook began simple:

_There's too much time missing between now and when I wrote in the other notebook. But five years and I feel like I'm dying inside._

There was nothing between the first page and the last page. But there was something written on the last page:

_I'm going to head back to the hawks in hope of seeing Max. If she's not there, then I'll go and maybe I'll leave forever. Well, fifteen years seems like forever anyway. Here's for the best, but I'm prepared for the worst._

"I…I almost didn't make it to you that day."

I spun around in my chair, startled by Fang who was standing in the doorway.

"I tucked in my wings and plummeted towards the ground. Then I got caught in some branches and realized that it would be stupid just to give up like that. I might have made it for sunset if it weren't for my own stupidity." Fang took a seat on my bed, sitting across from me.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Fang…"

His eyes met mine. "I wanted you to understand what I went through, that it wasn't easy for me, that even now I think back and it hurts me. And maybe because things have been so hard the past few years, I wanted to come back here and have to fight my way back to earn your trust…"

"But you don't."

"Well, I guess I'm lucky then."

"Fang, I love you."

His gaze seemed to harden. "I love you too, Max."

And then he stood, leaving me without another word.

* * *

**Alright, so that's where Fang was. I know, sort of complicated. I didn't want to make him seem like a bad guy, but I didn't want things to go the way he wanted either. Part of me hopes that wherever Fang really is, he's doing things to help people, or at least keeping safe.**

**Dylan will come back into the story in the next chapter. Fang and Max's relationship seems to be a little lost now, and maybe she'll seek comfort from Dylan.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Meant to Be – Chapter 6**

By MyNameIsCAL

Fang and I didn't say much to each other over the next couple of days. The time we spent alone went mostly without talking.

"Did you love Mary?" I asked him one night.

"I didn't know her long enough to," he said quietly. "But she loved me and I tried to protect her and Mark and Peter."

"I know things didn't work out with them, but you helped a lot of people." I was trying to sound comforting, but I got the feeling it wasn't working. "I mean, I didn't really do anything at all over the past five years."

He shrugged, closing his eyes and we fell back into silence.

* * *

"Max."

I turned to see Dylan standing in the middle of the hallway.

"What's up?" I responded.

"Iggy needs stuff from the store. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me," he replied, and then added, "Just you and me."

Fang was standing behind me. I turned to him and he gave me his usual shrug.

I sighed. "Alright, I'll go with you."

We got into the old pickup truck that we had managed to get cheap from some junk yard. Dylan never learned how to drive, so I was at the wheel, driving down the unpaved path.

"Thanks for coming," he said.

"Well you're going alone, so one, that's not safe. Two, you can't fly and carry everything by yourself. Three, well, you can't drive either."

He frowned. "I just wanted to talk to you, Max. You've been spending all your time around Fang and he barely talks to you."

"Why do you care?"

"I care because I didn't disappear for five years and run off with someone else."

"You don't know anything."

"No, I do know. I saw the notebooks just sitting on your desk, so I started to read."

"How could you do that!" I halted the car to a stop.

"It seems like he really cared about Mary," Dylan went on. "I mean, c'mon, Max. He even said that if you weren't there that he wouldn't come back. Half the time he sounded like he wanted to kill himself. Fang isn't stable Max. He's dangerous."

I grabbed Dylan by the front of his shirt. "Mary is dead and what's done is done. He did more to help people than we did in the past five years!"

"But he wasn't here when you needed him the most and I was. I was so close to winning you over! If I had more time with you, just you and me, you'd want to run from him!"

I opened the door, stepping out of the car. "Stop trying to make things harder than they need to be, Dylan."

"Well I'm not just gonna hold hands and sing Kumbaya with all of you and pretend that I'm okay with you and Fang."

"No one's asking you to Dylan, but maybe you should just accept the fact that you can't have me." I slammed the door and he opened his.

"Don't walk away from me, Max! I'm just trying to help you."

"You're not helping."

And I took off into the sky, leaving him standing on the ground, alone with the pickup truck. Iggy wasn't going to be happy to find out we didn't get the food he wanted.

* * *

"What's wrong, Max?"

Fang was waiting by the door when I came in. I wrapped my arms around him and he settled his own around me.

"Dylan went through your notebooks, Fang."

He stiffened up. "Son of a bitch."

"And then he had the nerve to tell me that you're unstable, that you're dangerous." I felt myself shiver. "I'm sorry, Fang."

"It's not your fault." He kissed my forehead and gave me a squeeze before dropping his arms and heading for the door.

"Hey, Max! You back already?" Iggy entered the room. "Did you get…"

"Fang where are you doing?" I called after him. "Fang!"

Iggy and I ran out the door with him, footsteps behind us as Gazzy and Nudge joined the commotion. We flew down, spotting Dylan making his way towards us, struggling to stay in flight.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Fang screamed.

Dylan start to plummet to the ground, throwing punches at Fang, and he was taking them. With a loud thud, they hit the ground, dirt clouding around them.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" I heard Dylan scream. "YOU'RE GONNA GET US ALL KILLED!"

"YOU READ MY JOURNALS?" Fang roared. "YOU INVADED MY PERSONAL PRIVACY!"

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE HIDING THINGS FROM US IF YOU WANT US TO TRUST YOU!" Dylan punched Fang in the face.

"I don't want…"

"YOU'RE THE SON OF A BITCH!" Dylan threw another punch which Fang showed no intentions of dodging.

"Dylan!" Fang finally snarled. "I don't want to…"

And then Dylan threw a harder punch, blood spewing out of Fang's nose. I ran towards them, pushing Dylan off of Fang. He struggled until he realized it was me pushing him back.

"Dylan…" Fang clamped his hand over his nose. "I don't want to hurt you."

Gazzy was suddenly on Dylan's other side, grabbing him by the arm and shouting in Dylan's face, "Don't you EVER lay a hand on Fang!"

That made Dylan really angry, and with the fighting skills we taught him, he kicked Gazzy square in the side of the face. Nudge let out a gasp and we all watched him fall to the ground, unmoving.

"Oh, fuck! Where's the car?" Fang stood, ignoring the blood gushing out of his nose. "We gotta get him to a hospital!"

I flew, remembering where it was, and barreled up the mountain. We got Gazzy into the car, slowly, and sped down the unpaved path.

* * *

**So Dylan's angry. Right, well, I'm sure they'll all find a way to reconcile. The next chapter will be up sometime next week!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Meant to Be – Chapter 7**

By MyNameIsCAL

We sat in the waiting room, Fang slouched against me holding an icepack to his face. The doctor had realigned his nose some hours ago and they had given him some painkillers. Iggy sat across from us, Nudge curled up next to him.

"How long has it been?" Fang said, his voice sounding funny as he couldn't breathe through his nose.

"Like an hour. You just asked five minutes ago," Iggy grumbled.

Dylan sat isolated in the corner. None of them were talking to him, but still he insisted on being here. I had told him to go home, that we'd sort things out after we got out of here. The hospital staff wasn't too happy to deal with us either, but we had a couple of fake IDs and to our luck, someone with a more serious injury had come in and distracted them before they could question where our parents were.

Fang glared at Iggy and closed his eyes.

"Here, let me hold that for you," I muttered, taking the ice pack. He let go and let out a sigh.

A doctor entered the waiting room.

"Ms. Ride?" he called out.

I waved him over and he stood in front of me. "Your nephew has suffered a broken jaw. We repositioned it, put in some screws and wires. It'll be months before he recovers, but he's lucky the trauma wasn't any worse."

"Can we see him?" I asked.

"I suppose so," the doctor sighed. "It's passed visiting hours, but I'll let it slide."

"It'll only be a week then," Fang grumbled.

"What's that?" the doctor looked confused.

"We heal very fast," Fang said quietly. "So I say less than a week and we'll be out of here."

The doctor looked skeptical. "Is that so? Well, we'll keep an eye on him. Move along now before security comes around. I haven't any say over them."

We hurried down the hall, Dylan lagging behind. Fang put his arm around me, taking slow steps, half dragging his feet on the ground.

"Go home, Dylan," I said. "Gazzy won't be happy to see you."

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure he was okay," Dylan sighed. "I'm sorry, Max."

And he turned in the opposite direction, leaving us.

"Gazzy, oh my god, are you okay?" Nudge was the first to say something, naturally. He gave her a tired look.

Iggy slumped into the chair next to the bed. He had pretty much missed everything, feeling left out.

"You're an idiot," Fang grunted, leaning against the bed to take some of his weight off me. "But thanks for, uh, sticking up for me. I appreciate it. And I'm sorry that you got hurt."

That might have been the nicest thing Fang's said to any of them since he got back. He gave Gazzy a half smile, patting his arm, and then wobbled to the couch to sit.

"So they say a month," I told Gazzy. "But we're thinking a week at the most until you can get out of here."

He rolled his eyes, looking frustrated now.

"You should rest, Gaz," I said softly. "I'll bring you some paper in the morning and a pen, alright? We'll get you out of here before you know it."

Gazzy blinked and then closed his eyes. After we were sure he was asleep, Fang and I took off home, leaving Iggy and Nudge to watch over him.

* * *

"I'm fine, Max. We'll fly there," Fang insisted.

I frowned, but unfurled my wings. He followed after me, dark circles around his eyes. There was a nice breeze up here, and I tried to enjoy it, not thinking that Dylan was still home sulking and Gazzy was probably in agonizing pain at the hospital.

"Why didn't you fight Dylan back?" I questioned.

Fang kept his gaze ahead. "Because I don't want to hurt him. I'm not here to pick a fight. I may not like him, but he helped you out when I was gone, so I'll give him respect he gives me respect, and if he doesn't, then I guess I'll just have to fight fire with fire."

We found ourselves at the hospital now, landing in the back of the parking lot, away from anyone to see us. After winding our way up through three flights of stairs, we finally reached Gazzy's room. I handed him a pad of paper and a pen.

_I'm gonna kill Dylan_, he wrote.

I sighed.

_Okay, I won't, but I sure ain't gonna talk to him anymore_.

Fang smirked.

"We oughta kick him out," Iggy said under his breath.

Nudge was asleep on the couch still, undisturbed.

_Max doesn't want to kick him out_, Gazzy wrote, but of course Iggy couldn't read it.

Fang gave Gazzy a disapproving look, taking a seat in a chair.

The next few days were hard. The flock wasn't talking to Dylan and Dylan, well, he was upset that I was taking their side. He kept to himself, avoiding everyone but me.

"I need to talk to you, Max," he said, catching me in the hallway one morning.

"Dylan, you just broke Gazzy's jaw in half, beat up Fang, and angered the rest of the flock. Now's not the time to try to make one of your arguments with me." I looked him in the eye. "I told you to take it easy, don't pick a fight that doesn't need to be fought. Fang doesn't want to hurt you."

Dylan let out a laugh. "Of course not."

I let out a sigh. "You know what, Dylan? You're lucky I don't kick you out right now."

He shook his head. "You wouldn't because I know you want to keep me around."

And then he was gone, slamming his door.

"Can we go now?"

I turned to see Fang.

"Yeah, let's go."

We took off, heading towards the hospital once again.

* * *

**A bit of a filler there. We'll get to some action shortly, I promise.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Meant to Be – Chapter 8**

By MyNameIsCAL

Tensions were running high. Gazzy would be home soon as soon as the doctor x-rayed his jaw one more time. The kid was okay though, talking, getting angry about Dylan. He just needed to go home now, to relax, get some real food from Iggy.

It was my turn tonight to keep an eye on Gazzy at the hospital. Fang had come along, and we sat on the couch, Gazzy already sleeping.

"Maybe when things cool off, we can go somewhere, just you and me," Fang suggested. "Dinner or a movie."

"That sounds great," I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.

His hand lingered next to mine. "I'm sorry we haven't talked much lately, I've just…had a lot going through my head."

I took his hand and he squeezed it, eyes meeting mine. And then he leaned down and kissed me.

* * *

"Alright, guys. Gazzy is coming home today," I announced.

Dylan, Fang, and Nudge sat around me. Iggy was already at the hospital, waiting for me to arrive.

"So what does this mean for us?" Dylan knew that this meeting was only so I could direct things at him.

"Look, Dylan, he's not happy with you. And this goes for everyone, don't piss him off," I answered. "I mean, c'mon, we're finally all together for once. Let's not fight anymore."

"Are we ever going to go look for Angel?" Nudge suddenly questioned.

I had been thinking about it, but the question was, where the hell were we going to start looking? "She left us, Nudge. But yes, we'll try to track her down."

Nudge shrugged. "Just wondering. I know Gazzy's been thinking about her again."

"But she said she was leaving forever," Dylan reminded us.

Fang let out a sigh, but didn't say anything.

"What's your problem?" Dylan sneered.

"Hey, Man, chill out."

We all turned to see Iggy standing by the ladder that led to the roof. Gazzy was climbing down and Dylan shut his mouth.

"I told you to wait for me to come," I frowned.

Iggy shrugged. "He wanted to get out and I made the decision that we'd just come home already. No point in waiting around. Hospitals creep us out."

"Gazzy! It's so great to have you home!" Nudge ran up to him and gave him a sisterly hug. I had to smile at that and Iggy took a seat next to Fang.

Dylan rose out of his seat. "Tell me when we're having dinner."

Iggy was the one who acknowledged him. "Sure thing."

Gazzy glared at Dylan.

"Well, we're not going to starve him," Iggy grumbled, sensing the tenseness in our silence. "We're not inhumane."

"We're not even human," Gazzy said, and then let a crooked smile slip past his lips.

Laughter went around and he took a seat, rubbing the side of his face.

"How's it feel?" I asked.

Gazzy shrugged. "Sorta sore still, but everything's healed according to the doctor. Hey, Ig, you think you could cook me some food. That hospital stuff tastes like crap."

"Of course." Iggy rose, heading to the kitchen, sidestepping the armchair with perfect precision.

Fang shook his head, looking amused. "Not much has changed."

"No, not really," I agreed.

He gave me one of his infamous half smiles and stood, taking my hand, and dragging me to the kitchen with the others.

* * *

The rest of the day been spent keeping Gazzy occupied, and finally dinner came around. Iggy and I had always taken turns going to tell Dylan that dinner was ready. Nudge and Gazzy couldn't be bothered with him. Tonight was my turn to go and I stood outside his door. Before I could knock, he opened it.

"Dinner?" he asked.

"Yup," I nodded.

He let out a breath and I turned, feeling his eyes on me as I walked down the hallway.

"Max?"

"Yes, Dylan?" I closed my eyes, wishing I had convinced Iggy to go.

"Do…do you remember when we used to go out on the balcony and look up at the stars?"

"Of course I remember, Dylan."

"I don't know, Max. I miss that."

I hesitated and then turned to face him. "One night, we'll go out there."

"I'd like that."

I gave him a small smile and headed to the kitchen.

The table now only had one empty chair, the one for Angel. Gazzy was staring at the space. I realized Fang's gaze was locked on it too, even though Iggy was holding out a bowl of mashed potatoes in front of him.

"Fang, hey, this is sorta heavy," Iggy said.

Fang took the bowl, scooping some onto his plate and then my own before passing it across me to Dylan. The bowl finally got to Gazzy and he started to focus on eating, his eyes glued to his plate. I knew what was going through his head.

"Ig?"

"Yes, Gaz?" Iggy replied through a mouthful of food.

"Can we go to the roof tonight, toast some marshmallows?" he questioned.

"Of course we can," Iggy said with a smile. I don't know how Iggy did it, but he always handled Gazzy better than the rest of us.

Gazzy just nodded and went back to eating. Fang exchanged glances with me and we went back to eating, listening to Nudge ramble about nothing.

* * *

**So I just read the synopsis of ****Angel****, the eight installment in the Maximum Ride series. Things look complicated, they look like things might now go the way we want, but you never know. I don't think any of us saw Fang leaving coming at the end of the latest book.**

**Oh, if you're looking to read the summary of the next book (due out February 14, 2011), check out Amazon and search Maximum Ride Angel or Maximum Ride book 7…something to that affect, click on the search result you're looking for and scroll down to the summary. I'm up for a discussion about it, so I'd like to know what you're all thinking about it.**

**Anyway, I'll update in the next week or so. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Mean to Be – Chapter 9**

By MyNameIsCAL

Fang's chin rested on my shoulder, his arms around me, a blanket around the two of us. Gazzy sat next to Nudge who sat next to Iggy. It was getting chilly, as the weather here was usually at night.

"I think we should start looking for Angel," Gazzy said, rotating his marshmallow.

"She could be anywhere," Fang said in a whisper. "Where would we start?"

Gazzy shrugged. "I don't know. We'll probably never find her. She probably doesn't even miss us."

Nudge frowned. "Gazzy, how could you say that?"

"I don't know, that's just how I feel," he tried to explain. "I mean, don't lie, we all missed Fang more than we missed Angel."

There was some truth behind that. When Fang first left, Angel had been oh so nice about it, and then she went back to being the way she had been before, trying to be controlling. It had been heartbreaking. None of us could stand it. Her leaving was almost a relief, but of course it was hard to believe she had taken off vowing never to return.

No one said anything to the poor kid, and he let out a sigh. "I don't know why I miss her."

"No, Gazzy, we miss her," I told him. "It's not the same without her."

He started to eat his marshmallow. It wasn't long before he closed his eyes, slouching against Nudge. She put the blanket around him and we stayed out there for another hour or so, none of us speaking of Angel, but we were definitely thinking about her. Even Fang looked troubled.

Later that night as I lay in Fang's bed, he asked me who I would have chosen if I had to decide between him and Angel, if he hadn't come back yet and we had the chance to look for them.

"Fang, I would have chosen you, and that probably sounds selfish, but Angel left us saying she'd never return. After she did that, after all she did to betray us, we weren't going to go rushing to find her." I turned to face him. "But even before you left, I would have chosen you anyway, you know that, even though we almost got the flock killed by leaving them."

"You know I left exactly because of that," he whispered.

"I…I know, Fang, but I guess I haven't changed."

Even in the dark I could see the outline of the beginnings of a smile. "Well, I guess that's alright. Just promise me you'll choose the flock over me."

"Of course, Fang." I wasn't that stupid, but it felt good to know he cared about them too still, not that I had ever doubted that.

"Now get some sleep," he said quietly, kissing my forehead. "Goodnight, Max."

"Night, Fang."

* * *

Things did seem to cool off over the next few days. Gazzy had settled back to his usual self, well, his usual self since Angel had been gone. The bounce was still missing in his step, along with that humor that sparked Iggy and his playful banter. He sat around watching TV most of the time, or on the computer surfing the internet. It was a way to keep himself distracted, and while Nudge and Iggy tried to get him to do stuff, to go out even just for a little while, he never really wanted to.

"Hey, Gaz, I'm going to the grocery store. Wanna come?" I asked him.

He looked up at me and then back at the TV. It was one of those things he had gotten use to though, us being nice to him, even when he had his days he would lash out at us.

"No, it's alright, Max. You go with Fang or something."

Fang took a seat on the opposite side of the couch that Gazzy was on. "Why don't you go with Iggy? He's the one cooking anyway."

I got the feeling Fang wanted to talk to Gazzy, so I left them in search of Iggy. He was in Nudge's room, lying on her bed, listening to her ramble as she walked around her room, still in her pajamas and trying to pick an outfit for the day.

"Hey, I need someone to come to get food with me. Iggy, you wanna pick out what we're eating for the week?"

"Absolutely." Iggy sat up. "Nudge can't decide what to wear, but you know, I can't see anything, so there's really no point in me trying to help her decide."

Nudge rolled her eyes and I led the way to the roof, saying goodbye to Gazzy and Nudge. We got in the pickup truck and I started down the unpaved path.

It took about two hours to get into town, get the groceries, and drive back. Iggy and I brought all the bags to the roof and then started to bring them inside the house when we heard Fang and Dylan's voices.

"I'm telling you I don't want to fight," I heard Fang say angrily. "It's not my place to decide, but if it were, I'd tell you to get out of here."

"I'd tell you the same thing," Dylan growled. "And I intend to find a way to make you leave."

"No one wants you here," Gazzy interjected. "So why don't you shut up, Dylan? Shut up and go away."

Iggy suddenly dropped the bag he was holding, running towards their voices. I hurried after him.

Fang stood between Dylan and Gazzy, trying to push Dylan towards the wall as Dylan started to shout at Gazzy.

"That's enough!" I pushed Fang away from Dylan.

Fang glared at Dylan and then turned on his heel, heading towards the roof. After another moment, Dylan went in the other direction.

"Exactly what happened?" I asked Gazzy.

He let out a sigh. "I was sitting here, talking to Fang. And you know, he doesn't really talk a lot to anyone but you, so I wasn't going to not talk to him, and then Dylan came in. We ignored him because, well, we were talking, and then he started to butt in and that made Fang mad because it wasn't Dylan's conversation in the first place."

"Alright." I let out a sigh.

"Where's Nudge?" Iggy sounded concerned.

"I don't know, still picking out something to wear." Gazzy turned off the TV and laid down on the couch.

I left Iggy and Gazzy and went to the roof. Fang had brought all the bags to the kitchen already and now sat on the roof, his feet hanging off the edge.

"He makes it very hard not to get mad," Fang stated, his arms coming around me after I sat next to him.

"He just needs time to adjust," I muttered, resting my head against Fang's chest.

"Maybe," Fang replied.


	10. Chapter 10

**Meant to Be – Chapter 10**

By MyNameIsCAL

**Alright, so, time to fast forward in the lives of the flock by a few months. I'll get to some more interesting stuff soon. **

A few months went by. Time had this way of being really slow, especially when there wasn't much to do. Iggy, as always, was cooking, with Nudge's help. And if he wasn't that, he was trying to keep the Gasman occupied with building explosives that I allowed them to deploy as long as they did it somewhere secluded.

Today was one of those occasions. Nudge had tagged along with them too, surprisingly, leaving Fang and me alone. Well, Dylan was still in the house, but he kept himself busy with numerous things. He and Fang didn't talk to each other, but things were, I guess, more at rest now.

"It's noon and we're still lying in bed, in our pajamas," I laughed.

Fang yawned, closing his eyes, wrapping his arm around me with his chin on my shoulder. "Hey, we got up to eat breakfast."

I pulled the blankets over us, settling against him. "You know Nudge will have a fit. She already hates the way we dress."

Fang gave me a look of amusement. "We'll get out of bed soon."

I turned to face him and he kissed me.

When we broke apart, I smiled at him.

"What're you smiling at?" But I watched as the corners of his mouth turned upward.

"I love you, Fang," I told him.

He allowed himself to grin completely now. "I love you too, Max."

* * *

It was almost the end of December now. We weren't big on celebrating holidays, especially since Anne Walker had ruined Thanksgiving for us and well, Christmas wasn't supposed to be about presents, so it felt weird celebrating it. But there was always New Year's Eve and so we used it as an excuse to let Iggy cook more food than usual so we could stuff our faces, and an excuse to forget about our troubles for a while.

Iggy took a whole week to plan out our New Year's Eve meal. It meant a trip to the grocery store too. He sat at the kitchen table now, Gazzy and Nudge arguing over which dishes they liked better. Since Dylan punched Gazzy, things seemed to lighten up. And Gazzy no longer dwelled on finding his sister again. We mostly tried not to bring Angel up anyway, although even sometimes I wondered if we should have gone after if, that maybe we should have never stopped looking for her.

"It's useless to regret," Fang had told me one night as we lay awake. "Because you can't change anything. What's done is, well, done."

Fang was fiddling with the TV, trying to get it work. There had been a storm last night and things were discombobulated. I sat on the couch, listening to Nudge and Gazzy, Iggy trying to reason with them, and Fang grumbling how he hated technology sometimes.

"Max, can I talk to you?" Dylan approached me. It had been a while since he had been out of his room other than for meals.

"Of course." I sat up.

He looked like he wanted to take a seat next to me, but instead, his eyes found the window. "I was thinking that maybe after New Years is over, I'd start to look for my own place."

I didn't really know what to say to that.

"Well, I mean, if that's what you really want," I managed to tell him.

Dylan shrugged. "I think it'd be better that way. But I'll be around every now and then, if you don't mind."

"No, of course not."

He nodded, shifted his weight between his legs, and then disappeared down the hall.

"Well, there's something up with him," Fang remarked, hitting the TV and producing a working image.

I let out a sigh and lay back down on the couch, tracing the lines on the ceiling with my eyes.

"The sound doesn't work." Fang let out a swear and then disappeared back to the roof.

"Okay! Enough you two!" Iggy burst out. "I'll just make both, alright?"

I closed my eyes. Somehow Dylan leaving felt wrong.

* * *

The truck fit two people, legally, and we liked to draw attention away from ourselves, so I took Dylan with me to the supermarket. The list was almost two pages long now, and as much as it seemed, it wouldn't take all that long for us to eat it.

"So now you want me to come with you?" Dylan shook his head as I drove down the mountain. "But you're not trying to talk me out of going, are you, Max?"

"I don't want you to leave, Dylan."

"It doesn't seem like that." Dylan leaned back. "When was the last time you and I had a conversation? What happened to everything we had before Fang came back?"

"I asked you to come with me because I wanted to say that I was sorry."

He fell silent.

"And maybe you're right Dylan, maybe things would have turned out differently if more time had went by," I admitted. "But what's the point of being stuck on what could have been?"

"Well, you have a point." The fact that he was agreeing seemed like a good sign. "I think I just need to get away for a while. The flock doesn't need me, but I'll be around if you do."

I inhaled and then exhaled. "Alright, thank you, Dylan."

The rest of the car ride went without much conversation. I didn't really know what to say to him and, well, I don't think he really had much left to say to me. Or maybe what he wanted to say he knew he couldn't say.


	11. Chapter 11

**Meant to Be – Chapter 11**

By MyNameIsCAL

We sat down to dinner, the food placed around the table in an almost decorated fashion. Iggy sat at the head of the table, Nudge to his right and Gazzy to his left. Dylan sat next to Nudge and Fang and I sat across from them. There was an empty seat at the other end of the table with a place setting for Angel, which had originally been Fang's seat a long time ago, but under the table he held my hand, and so I guess things had changed.

"Well, I hope you're all hungry." Iggy cleared his throat. "Please, begin!"

We began to pile our plates with food, the scraping of forks and knives the only noise. Dylan began to compliment the food, and he and Iggy carried on a little conversation for a while. Even Gazzy seemed to relax, and we talked as if nothing had ever come between us.

Fang closed his eyes, chewing slowly. "I never thought food could taste this good."

I probably felt the same way every year, but the food always tasted better than the last. Or maybe it was the fact that I felt a little bit more at peace this year than the last. We scraped the plates clean, leaving almost nothing left except a half eaten chocolate cake. There was still a good three hours until midnight, and I wandered up to the roof with Fang.

"It's nice to be able to see the stars," Fang murmured into my ear as we lay back.

Slowly, I put my arm around him, resting my head against his chest. Before I started to let my eyes close, I could have sworn there were the beginnings of a smile on his face.

* * *

Dylan found a place rather quickly. I got the feeling that he had found it way before New Year's and that he was only sticking around because he didn't want to leave, or he didn't know how to tell us he was going. The rest of the flock wouldn't miss him, and I tried not to let it show that I did miss him, especially because Gazzy seemed like he was in a better mood now that Dylan was gone.

The past few days were nice though. I spent some time alone with Fang, going to the city and having dinner. We went to the mall with the flock so Nudge could go shopping too. Gazzy requested to go see a movie, which all of us enjoyed except for Iggy who said that the plot seemed too convoluted to make sense, that there was no real climax in the plot, making everything seem anticlimactic from the very start.

"You had to _see_ it," Gazzy protested. "Ig, you really would have liked it."

"There weren't any explosions," Iggy scoffed, looking troubled as we headed away from the theater.

Fang rolled his eyes, and when he realized I had seen him, he took my hand, holding back a growing smile.

"You know, I missed his…obnoxiousness," Fang now smirked.

I laughed and squeezed his hand, following the others as they led us towards town, probably hungry again.

We found a small café a few blocks from the theater. It wasn't often that we went out, but lately it seemed like there was more to celebrate.

Fang was chewing at his food thoughtfully, staring over at the back corner of the restaurant. I matched my line of view to his and wondered why he was looking over there.

"Dylan has been following us all day," Fang muttered. "I'm pretty sure that's him in the corner."

You could barely tell it was him until you realized that the back of his coat was hiding his wings.

"Well, he hasn't bothered us." I turned my attention back to the drinks the waiter was setting in front of us.

Fang said nothing in response.

* * *

It was late. Beyond midnight.

I sat at the kitchen table, sifting through a box of Angel's old stuff. Her laptop was one of the few items that may have left any clue of where she disappeared too, and we had tried searching it before, but now I wondered if it was possible that we missed something. Nudge had tried, but she couldn't get anything but the password to log in, and even then, we could have figured the password out ourselves.

Fang had gone off to bed hours ago. The only reason I was up was because I couldn't sleep and Fang had asked to have some time to himself before he went to bed. He seemed distracted lately again, and I figured it was best to give him his own space, which meant being left to my own thoughts.

It wouldn't be long before Gazzy grew restless about his sister again. We had been doing a lot to keep him happy. I know that he didn't think it was fair that I could be happy now that Fang came back, and while it was comforting, and while that had been what I had wanted more than anything in the world, I still hadn't stopped caring about Angel. Sometimes, it was easier to let go though. Maybe by the time she had run off, I had been too numb from the loss of Fang.

I stared at the old laptop for a few minutes, contemplating whether I remembered the password correctly or not, and finally I decided that it was probably best not to go through things by myself, in case something happened, at least I'd have another set of eyes looking around at things with me.

Part of me got the feeling that Fang was upset because of Dylan, and that I had passed off his presence as nothing at lunch earlier. He had a right to be a little ticked off about it. I just felt bad for Dylan, and I knew he only had good intentions.

It wouldn't be long before the sun would be coming up, and I settled into my own bed alone after putting the boxes away. Without Fang, the bed felt empty, but as soon as I closed my eyes and my head hit the pillow, I was out.

* * *

**Happy Hanukkah to those of you who celebrate. Teachers are piling the work on before the holidays, but I promise you that I'll do a lot of writing over my winter break. Hope all is well with you for the holiday season. Stay away from those crazy shoppers, unless you're one of them too!**

**And as always, thanks so much for reading! I'll update as soon as I can.  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Meant to Be – Chapter 12**

By MyNameIsCAL

**It's been a long time, I know. Guess this doesn't really go along with **_**Angel**_** now, but I shall press on. Got plans for this story anyway. Sorry for not updating this one for a while.**

I sat in the kitchen watching Iggy cook. Everyone else was still asleep. My cell phone sat on the table, and it suddenly buzzed, making me jump.

There was a text from Dylan:

_Hey Max! Look, I haven't seen you in a while. I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch or something, just so we could catch up, if you'd like._

It had been about maybe a month now since I had even spoken to Dylan. I stared at the text for a minute.

"Who's that?" Iggy questioned.

"Dylan."

"What's he want?"

"To see me."

Iggy shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Max."

I let out a sigh.

"Look." Iggy sat down next to me, lowering his voice. "Fang is just, you know, warming to all of this again. Maybe you should wait a little longer."

"Yeah, you're probably right," I muttered, punching out a response to Dylan, hoping he wouldn't pester me anymore.

Iggy went back to cooking. I left my phone, going to the window and staring out. It was sort of cloudy today.

"Hey."

Fang snuck up behind me, and if I wasn't so used to it, I might have elbowed him in self defense. He drew his arms around me, and I closed my eyes, feeling his chin resting on my shoulder.

"Fang…" I was resisting the urge to smile.

"What're you smiling about?" He chuckled, kissing my neck. "I was thinking we could go out somewhere tonight, just you and me."

"That sounds great," I said.

He smiled into my neck and I slipped my hand into his as we headed back to the kitchen.

Gazzy came into the kitchen a few minutes later, rubbing his jaw. I didn't think it actually hurt anymore, but it had just become a habit of his every since Dylan had hit him. Fang gave nothing away as he noticed, but I knew it still bothered him.

"Hey, Max, if you have a chance when you go out tonight, could you pick up more marshmallows?" Gazzy sounded anxious.

"We'll get you some, don't worry," I promised.

"Thanks."

* * *

Fang had his arm around me as we made our way down the street. We had just gotten out of the movie theater and now heading to get Gazzy some marshmallows. Earlier, we had found ourselves a place to eat dinner and took a walk on the beach. He gave me one of his crooked smiles when I glanced at him, squeezing my arm.

"We should take the whole flock down to the beach one day," he said, taking a deep breath. "When's the last time you've been to the beach?"

I shrugged. "It's been a while."

We found ourselves in a grocery store and bought a couple bags of marshmallows. It was when we were in line that we crossed paths with Dylan.

"Hello, Dylan," I said.

He gave me a wide grin. "It's good to see you, Max. How've you been?"

"Good," I replied.

Dylan gave me a hug, and I squeezed him back. Fang watched carefully, eyes fixed on Dylan, but his expression giving nothing away.

"And how have you been, Fang?" Dylan stuck his hand out, receiving a stiff shake from Fang.

"I've been alright," Fang muttered.

"Well, Max, next weekend, or whenever really, we should do something, you know? Talk and catch up." Dylan had turned his attention back to me. "Anyway, I'll see you around, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, Dylan." I waved goodbye to him and he disappeared down one of the aisles.

Fang scowled. "I feel like he's been stalking us all of a sudden."

"Don't be ridiculous, Fang," I said, taking his hand. "C'mon, it's our turn to pay."

When we reached a place with less people, Fang and I took off into the sky. It didn't take long for us to reach the house. I put the marshmallows in the kitchen. Fang had already disappeared down the hall to his room, saying that he was going to change for bed. One moment here, the next moment gone. I let out a sigh, heading to my room, changing into pajamas.

Sitting on my bed, I flipped my phone open. Dylan had left me a few messages, asking me how my night had been. I contemplated answering, but as I received another from him, I turned off my phone and left it on my nightstand, pulling the blankets over me. Part of me was starting to think Fang was upset about our encounter with Dylan, and I cursed at him for ruining what had started as a seemingly perfect night.

"Max…"

I spun around, blankets tangled in my legs as I reached out and threw out a punch, my fist connecting with someone's face. As I rolled off the bed, I found myself on top of them.

"Well, it's nice to know you can still pack a good punch, Max."

I finally recognized the voice. "Oh, jeez, Fang, I'm so sorry."

Still, he brushed the hair out of my face. I could see the outline of his growing smile in the dark. His fingers brushed up against the tips of my feathers.

I touched his face and he winced.

"Let's get you some ice for that," I insisted.

We untangled ourselves.

"Stay here," I helped him onto the bed.

When I came back, he had turned the lamp on. His eye was already swollen, and I pressed the icepack to the side of his face. He flinched.

"I should know better than to sneak up on you like that," Fang grinned as he rested his hand over mine. "I really just wanted to come say goodnight. I'm sorry, Max."

I shook my head. "I punched you. It's my fault."

He closed his eyes, still looking amused. "Never mind now, Max. Turn off the light. Let's get some sleep."

I let him have the icepack, reaching over and turning the lamp off. After I fixed the blankets, I snuggled myself against Fang, his arm around me.

"Goodnight, Max." He kissed my forehead.

"Night, Fang."

* * *

**I'm putting this at the end of the chapters I update over the next few days just as a statement now that I've finished reading the newest Max Ride book, **_**Angel**_**.**

**My honest opinion is that it was good. It lived up to my realistic expectations, although I find myself a little frustrated because it's not exactly what I wanted. But there's still one more book, you must remember when you're reading it. The ending needs to be good, or we'll be left with a feeling that all this was wasted.**

**Just a suggestion, don't go into reading **_**Angel**_** with a hatred for any of the characters. Take a deep breath and let them speak for themselves, and you'll realize that things may be complicated, but Patterson is definitely setting up an ending that could be good (as I'm hoping), or it could be a disaster, but let's not ponder that because no matter what happens, I'll still be sitting here writing fanfics until people stop reading and reviewing them.**

**My inbox is opened for opinions once you've read **_**Angel**_**. I'd like to know how you felt about it.**

**And thanks for reading, as always. I'll be sure to update soon**

**}MyNameIsCAL{**


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